Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-05-26

ton, some mysterious fascination, she
again sought the very spot of all others
she should have avoided.
The wreck lay bare, damp, and grim.
There was no one near it, no one with
in sight. A strange silence seemed to
have settled upon sky and land, upon
air and water-an oppressive heayi-
ness that awed and chilled. No bird
was to be seen lowering over the vast
expanse of ocean that lay fiat and al
most rippleless; no breath Of breeze
came to fan the cheek. The leaves of
the trees hung limp and motionless,
and flowers dropped their heads as if
whitening on their stems.
She thought the dispiriting influence
was within herself, that she was lack
ing in energy and vitality, never re-
fiecting that nature might be resting as
giant as an athlete before some mighty
exertion.
With family beating heart and SWIM
ming senses she crept under the dis
mantled wreck, and fiinging herself
down upon the cold; damp; sand, re-
allied what death would be.
Footsteps came near and merry
laughing voices aroused and disturbed
her. She crept still more out of sight
for fear of being discovered. Then the
waves of frantic passion surged back
upon her heart, released her blood
from the mysterious spell, sent it
bounding through her veins and she
became the fearfully jealous and love-
mad woman again.
The steps she heard, the voices to
which she was forced to listen, were
those of her sister and her lover talking
Llithely of the future, talking of her.
The fire within the heart of the hid
den woman needed no fuel to be added
to the flames; the mine of jealousy no
powder to hasten an explosion. Yet
their every word was both, and when
her sister laughed merrily at her en-
deavoring to win the hand and heart
she now called her own, the wreck
shook violently, and from its depths
came startled grown.
1T is haunted" exclaimed Grace,
springing up from he seat upon it,
land will never come near it again"
Never" was repeated with meaning
emphasis, though the lovers heard it
not.
"And yet" she said, pausing and re-
tracing her steps, lit will ever be to
me the dearest spot on earth, for here
you told me your love"
"And here you gave the greatest of
all treasures heart, my darling"
"And so we will take away with us
portion of it, to be forever kept as
souvenir of the commencement of
life of JOY and-Merciful Heaven"
what is the matterp" he asked, rum
ming to her side in alarm.
"See," she said, as she held up
little hand from which the blood was
streaming, show l have cut my handw
Torn it on NAIL" he explained,
binding it up with his handkerchief.
Tomorrow we will come in the light
and get the fragment you wish to take
away with you. Now you must have
your wound dressed;" and he hurried
her to the hotel.
1t might have been sharp and cruel
nail that had torn the soft white flesh;
il might have been the point of sharp
knife suddenly thrust through the open
seams.
There was but one who could have
told, and her lips were sealed, save as
sounds like hooking and triumph
laughter came floating upon the night
wind from out the hollow beneath the
upturned keel.
The lovers parted at late hour, and
Grace sought her room to live over
again such hours of bliss as rarely come
more than once in life. She noticed,
but failed to be impressed by it, that
. & hod
been turned with the face towards the
wall, that it no longer seemed to smile
down upon her as guardian angel.
A sister, driven mad by love, was
about to stain hand and soul in the
blood nearest, and which should have
been dearest to her.
For an instant she stood wavering
in the uncertain light, then advanced
to the bedside, and raised an arm
nerved by jealousy, hate and unre-
Quilted love to strike the fatal blow.
1t was never given. At the moment
the same feeling, but more intense,
that had made her feel as if death was
near when upon the beach came over
her.
The air was heavy, suffocating, then
there was a strong lateral vibration,
rafting of windows, the picture of
the mother shook violently, the chairs
slid about, the tiny glass articles on
the bureau clinked together, and an
ominous, rumbling, deep-toned sound
filled the room.
1t was as if the terrible fiat Of "Thou
shalt not kill" had been Numbered in
her ears, and with her hands pressed
to her mouth to restrain outcry she fled
out into the darkness-out upon the
sands.
Those watching anxiously for the
coming of another shock of earthquake
saw the figure of woman with stream
ing hair and drenched garments fitting
about the wreck upon the shore for a
time, then all was loss to sight.
On the morrow nothing of woman
or wreck could be found. The tidal
wave had done its work well.